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Pokémon Co-Master is a battling boardgame for iOS and Android

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Pokémon Sun and Moon won't be the only new Pokémon games fans have to look forward to for the 20th anniversary of the monster-catching franchise. Along with the new core game instalments on Nintendo 3DS, Pikachu and pals will be coming to smartphones and tablets with the digital boardgame Pokémon Co-master.

The game, which will be free-to-play on Android and iOS, is co-developed by The Pokémon Company International and Japanese studio Heroz, an AI specialist that has previously released mobile games based on the classic chess-like board game shogi. Co-Master takes inspiration from both, while working in Pokémon's own battle and evolution mechanics.

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Players take turns moving their 'Mons and fight to dominate the board, eliminating rival players' team of Pokémon or fighting against virtual opponents. It won't just be digital monsters you'll be battling (no, not these digital monsters) though -- the app, which is due for release in Japan this spring, works in conjunction with a new range of collectible physical figures.

A range of chess-piece style character markers -- featuring the likely suspects of Pikachu, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle -- will be released to directly interact with the game. The Japanese press release doesn't offer much on how they'll interact with the app, although some form of NFC communication -- similar to amiibo, seems likely.

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The game will be launched free-to-play, and is set to be compatible with both Android and iOS devices.

However, at present, Pokémon Co-Master is only confirmed for Japanese release, but given the massive rollout that The Pokémon Company International has planned for the rest of the anniversary year -- including augmented reality game Pokémon Go also coming to smartphones, the release of Tekken-inspired brawler Pokkén Tournament on the Wii U, and re-releases of the original Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow -- it would be more surprising if this boardgame entry didn't get a global release.